intonation

[anniebobo]

am I happy or sad?
why people use a rising tone in "happy" but a falling tone in "sad"?

 

[GoesStation]

When we ask someone to choose from a list of things, we aren't asking a typical question; we're asking the person to select one of a list which we proceed to name. This is the only case I can think of where a question doesn't end in a rising tone.

Remember to capitalize the first letter of the first word in each sentence.

Ask Why do people use a rising tone...?

Thanks for using quotation marks correctly.

 

[Raymott]

am I happy or sad?
why people use a rising tone in "happy" but a falling tone in "sad"?

If you ask "Am I sad or happy?", the rising tone falls on 'sad'. (In case that was the question.)

 

[emsr2d2]

"Am I happy or sad?"

Why do people use a rising tone in "happy" but a falling tone in "sad"?

Note my amendments above. It's important to start every new sentence with a capital letter.

 

[anniebobo]

If you ask "Am I sad or happy?", the rising tone falls on 'sad'. (In case that was the question.)

How about "Is it apple or orange?" ?

 

[emsr2d2]

How about "Is it apple or orange?" ?

That's not grammatical.

Is it an apple or an orange?

That would have the same intonation as "Am I happy or sad?"

 

[GoesStation]

How about "Is it apple or orange?" ?

That's not grammatical.

It would be OK in the right context:

A. Would you like some juice?
B. Is it apple or orange?

The meaning of B's response depends on the intonation. If it ends on a rising tone, it means Is it either apple or orange juice (as opposed to mango, grapefruit, or any other kind)?

If it ends on a falling tone, it means Which kind is it, apple or orange?